Can line divider



June 7,1949. E. BOURLAND 2,472,563

01m LINE DIVIDER Filed Dec. 9, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

2. ELI BOURLAND WM a ATTORNEY June 7, 1949. E. BOURLAND CAN LINE DIYIDER2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed D60. 9, 1946 JLI UH UU-U.

INVENTOR. ELI BOURLA/VD fl M Z Patented June 7, 1949 UN IZ'ITTEDlITSJTA-TIE ZS -"-2;472,563

.CAN' L I NE DIVIDER Eli'BourlandflMillbraie flighlands fialifsassigno'r to" Pacific Can Company, :smi raneiscosoanc,

a -corporation of Nevada Application December 9, 1946, "serial-Nannies:

lwGlaims.

Thisinven'tioni' relates to -an improved can" line divider.

Oneobject' of the invention is 'toprovide a can line divider which willdivertncans or other cylindricalor'sphericalbodies "ie dfromany sourceinto two or more lines.

Another "object of "thisinvention is to provide a can dividerv whichwil1cause aminimum of wearupon'the cans"; to provide ad'eviceofmaximumsimplicityan'd few moving parts ;.'t0" provide a can line"divider "that needsfnosynchronizing with other parts; to provide a-canline "divider that wili'notin'jure cans'ba'cke'djup in themachine byblocked:dischargeilines; to provide a can line 'divider'thatwill feed?an'uninterrupted supply of cans to one 1ine"'a'nd"divide' the surpluscans between one or.more other lines, etc.

Other objects'and advantages or this invention will appear from"therfollowing description.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view in front elevation of a device embodyingthisinvention Fig. 2 is a'plan' view taken along-the line II-II of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation'showing the exterior of thedevice;

Fig. 4 is a vie'win side elevation partly in section taken" on the'line'IVIV ofFig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view'in front elevation of a modified form ofthedevice; and

Fig.6 is a diagrammatic ViewJof a modification.

The'housing ltrencloses a rectangular 'box like area in which aline' ofcans entering in single file will be divided into two lines of'single'file. The cams ll enter at" l2 and leave through the openings I3and' it.

The housing I!) used to illustrate 'the'inven tion is made up ofa'front'plate l5, a rear-plate l6, and two'resiliently mounted sideplates I1 and I8. Around the top' and bottom of the housing I0 areangle-iron iramesZfland-Zl to Whichthe front plate and the rear plate'ltare fastened. Bolts 22*extend from the'side plates '11 andl8 and areslidably mounted-in the frames andZI where the springs-23 hold-them in ayielding -position. Theinward position of the side plates is regulated'by'the lock nuts 2 4.

Separation of the-single hne of cans entering the housing I 0 at 12 intotwo lines of cans leavingthe housing atl'3 and I4 is accomplished by theexpedient of; an *eccentrically mounted "soft mounted ."subs'taghtiallybar allel with the" bottom of thehousing' lfl ai id with=the"side platesl1 and I8, and aboveilahd betweemthe "outlet openings 1 3 and 'l 4. ""fSui-table conveyor'systems connect to the inl et I2 and the outlet I 3and M to'handle the "cans before an d lafter "separation. The preferredrelation' of 'the di'mensions of the" cylinder 25 and the cans to thespace between "the two extreme positions of"the cylinder and "the sideplates" I Tami- 18 is *such'that there should be less 'spacethanthe"can":diameter between the side plate andtheicylirider' 'when thecylinder is in'itspo'sition closest 'to' the "side plate," and morespace than the can "diameter when the cylinder is'ihitsposition-farthesttrom theside plate. In other words,"thecylinder'shou-ld have such a diameterand' bemounted offpenter on theshaft 26' tos-uch 'an amouh t;. that'as itrotates; its positionsof"maximum""clearanoe* from "the side plates |'1"and"l8 ifrillprtnride"efs'paoe wmore than" equal to the diameter "d of thecansi'passing therethrough and its 'pos'itions "ofmi'n'imum clearancewillpr'ovide aspa'ce l7 less'ithan the diameter d of the cans. I I

The "shaft p'irefer-ably "should; "be approximately "equidistant-fromthe" plates l2! "and l8','and high enough so that' thecylinderffi willclear thelips" 29 ofthe outlet': openings 3 and I 4.

This willtbe madecleari'irrFlg. '1 Where a is the distance-7between theside plate I 8 and the edge ofthecyhnder 25*wh'enf thecyli'nderisfarthest awayfromthemat'e l' b is"the distance between the sideplatefl and the edgeof'the'cylinder25 when the cylinder isclosesttdtheside'platel1 and the "springs 23 "are extended; 'd is thediameterofthe' c'ans "H ;'"e is thief-diameter of the cylinder 25 rand fis thei-width betweenth'e side walls ll and-"18' whemheld-in'by'ftheirsprings 23. One other dimension is of interest',iname1y;thatshown by g. This istaken when thesideplatel1 has been "forcedoutwardly" because a loan H was caught between*theiface otithe'cylinderf25 and the plate 'I'l. -"'Something has :to' give because thedistance b is less t-han' jfdf the .canvdiameter; so the dimension-g isequal? to 'd'th can diam'eter. When the side'w'alYl! isin the dottedline position, the spring 23 should still have clearance for furtherco'm'pr'e'ssiowas asafeguardagainst 'a can or 'otherhobject of" greater.dimension than d getting-caught-ybetween"thereylindeffiand the sideplate *1 1. i Thepre'ferable ?relationship of these dimensions'cahbesummanzed. as follows:

bodied cylinder 25'' set'withits axisin substanh ul b d tial alignment"withthe axis or thecans. Preferj g g j iifi gfi ably the*cyl1nder"'25*is-rotatedby the shaft- 26 g Should be at least equal 130a mounted in bearings-"21 the plates l5 and it. A" sprocket 28-in the'sh'aft ifireceives a chain or belt "from: an y s'uitable power source.

In a i'deviceir for separating "the lineiof cans into two "lines, onecylinder 'is sumcientg-and it is Withithese relationships-fin mind theoperation of the idevice willi-be cleari The eans pour into thehousing-iat l 2. -lfi the', cylihder 25- is in the position "showii 'infull lines in i le. '1 when a can II hits it, the can will be deflectedto the right. If it is moving fast it may fall through the opening ainto the outlet I4 before the cylinder 25 has rotated into its dottedline position and the clearance dimension becomes g or less than the candiameter. If the cylinder 25 is rotating slowly several cans may passthrough the space a into the outlet I4 before the cylinder rotatesenough to make the clearance over the outlet I3 equal to the candiameter d. So long as this latter clearance is equal at least to d thecans will be diverted into the outlet I3 and its conveyor C, while nocans will be going into the outlet conveyor at 4.

While the present device could be set to send alternate cans in exactalternate sequence into the outlets I3 and I4, this is not usuallynecessary in practice, so it does not matter if several cans go into oneoutlet before it is closed off and several cans then go into the otheroutlet. The result will average out so that a fairly equal division ofthe cans is made between the two outlets.

It sometimes happens that the cans being fed into the outlet conduits atI3 and I4 will not be taken out of the conduit as fast as they are fedinto it with the result that the cans will back up into the housing IIIas shown on the right hand side. When this occurs (as well as when a canhappens to come into the space between the cylinder 25 and the sideplate l8 as the space is narrowing so that the can is caught and held bythe cylinder 25) the cylinder 25 will press on the can II and through itforce the side plate I8 outwardly into the dotted line position. Thiscauses no injury to the can or to the machine. When the cans blockingthe outlet I4 move on, the can adjacent the cylinder 25 will drop downas soon as the dimension becomes equal to a.

This feature makes the device foolproof and eliminates injury to thecans a well as eliminating any need for synchronizing the divider withother parts of the can line, especially if the machines located beyondthe outlet conduits I3 and I4 have to be stopped from time to time. Withthis device the operator need not concern himself with stopping rotationof the cylinder 25 because no injury will come to the cans held on itwhen the line stops moving.

In Fig. is shown a modification of the device where the line of cans isto be diverted into three outlet conduits 30, 3| and 32. The object ofthis device is not to get an equal division of the cans between thethree outlets, but to feed cans without hindrance into the middle outletand into the outside outlets go the overflow, This has an advantage, forif the outlets 30, 3| and 32 are connected to three filling machines,for example, then the operator can feed the cans in at I 2 at thecapacity of the three fillin machines. The result will be that each linewill get its fair share of cans.

In Fig. 5 the same reference numerals are used where possible. There aretwo cylinders driven by a chain 33 to keep the cylinders synchronized toeach other. The dimensions between the side plates I1 and I8 and thecylinders 25 are the same as on Fig. 1. The dimension is is constant andis equal to the dimension a in Fig. 1; that is, 70 should be greaterthan the can diameter d.

In operation the device of Fig. 5 will feed a continuous line of cans tothe center outlet 3| through the gap it between the cylinders. Therewill be little interference with this flow of cans into the outlet 3|from the rotation of the cylinders 25. If the machine connected to thecenter line 3| uses up cans as fast as they are coming through the inletI2, very few cans will be diverted to the outlets 30 and 32. However,the minute that cans slow down in the conduit 3| they will back up intothe space It between the cylinders 25 and additional cans entering at I2will be deflected to the side outlets 3D and 32. They will enter theseoutlets during the time the cylinders 25 are away from the side platesl1 and I8 by the dimension a.

A way of getting a line of cans divided into four lines is to use threeof the devices like Fig. 1 arranged in pyramid-like form with the outletI3 of the top one connected to the inlet I2 of the lower left one andthe outlet I4 of the top one connected to the inlet I2 of the lowerright one. This is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 6.

It will be apparent from the description and drawings that I haveprovided a device which is simple to construct and which is also simpleto adjust so that different sized cans may be divided. The word can asused herein and in the claims is intended to cover spherical bodies andcylindrical articles other than cans in the popular sense of the word.

Changes may be made in the size, shape, material and arrangement ofparts which do not depart from the spirit of my invention or from thescope of my claims.

I claim:

1. In a can line divider, the combination with a receptacle having sideplates, of cylindrical means rotatably mounted in said receptaile so asto move in a generally horizontal position toward and away from saidside plates as it rotates, a can feeding inlet opening into saidreceptacle and positioned so that the articles being fed will lieadjacent said cylindrical means; resilient mounting means for said sideplates so that during rotation of said cylindrical means the spacingbetween said means and the adjacent side plate will vary from a spacethrough which said can will not pass to a space through which it willpass; means for rotating said cylindrical means, and outlets in thebottom of said receptacle through which each can will be discharged.

2. In a can line divider, the combination with a receptacle having sideplates, a pair of cylindrical means rotatably mounted in said receptacleso as to move in a generally horizontal position toward and away fromsaid side plates as it rotates, a can feeding inlet opening into saidreceptacle and positioned so that the articles being fed will lieadjacent said cylindrical means; resilient mounting means for said sideplates so that during rotation of said cylindrical means the spacingbetween said means and the adjacent side plate will vary from a spacethrough which said can will not pass to a space through which it willpass; means for rotating said cylindrical means; and outlets in thebottom of said receptacle through which each can will be discharged.

3. A can line divider, including a housing having an inlet adapted toreceive cans, a plurality of outlets in its bottom for said cans, andsides adjacent the outside edges of said outlets, a shaft mounted insaid housing substantially parallel with its bottom and parallel withsaid sides and above and between said outlets, means for rotating saidshaft, and a cylinder mounted off center on said shaft and of such adiameter that as it rotates its positions of maximum clearance from saidsides will provide a space more than equal to the diameter of the canspassing therethrough, and its position of minimum clearance from saidsides will provide a space less than equal to the diameter of the canspassing therethrough, said sides and the periphery of said cylinderbeing resiliently movable with respect to each other under abnormalstress.

4. A can line divider, including a housing having an inlet adapted toreceive cans, a plurality of outlets in its bottom for said cans, andresiliently mounted side plates adjacent the outside edges of saidoutlets, a shaft mounted in said housing substantially parallel with itsbottom and parallel with said side plates and above and between saidoutlets, means for rotating said shaft, and a cylinder mounted 01fcenter on said shaft and of such a diameter that as it rotates itspositions of maximum clearance from said side plates will provide aspace more than equal to the diameter of the cans passingtherethrough,and its positions of minimum clearance from said side plates willprovide a space less than equal to the diameter of the cans passingtherethrough.

5. A can line divider, including a housing having an inlet adapted toreceive cans, a plurality of outlets in its bottom for said cans, andsides adjacent the outside edges of said outlets, a shaft mounted midwaybetween said sides in said housing substantially parallel with itsbottom and parallel with said sides and above and between said outlets,means for rotating said shaft, and a cylinder mounted off center on saidshaft and of such a diameter that as it rotates its positions of maximumclearance from said sides will provide a space more than equal to thediameter of the cans passing therethrough, and its positions of minimumclearance from said sides will provide a space less than equal to thediameter of the cans passing therethrough, said sides and the peripheryof said cylinder being resiliently movable with respect to each otherunder abnormal stress.

6. A can line divider including a housing having an inlet to receivecans, a plurality of outlets for said cans in the bottom of saidhousing, and resiliently mounted side plates at the side extremities ofsaid housing; eccentric means rotatably positioned in said housingsubstantially parallel to said side plates and to the bottom of saidhousing; the size and eccentricity of said means being such that a cancan pass between said means and each of said side plates during part ofeach period of rotation and cannot pass between said means and saidplates during another part of each said period.

7. A can line divider including a housing having an inlet to receivecans, a plurality of outlets for said cans in the bottom of saidhousing, and resiliently mounted side plates at the side extremities ofsaid housing; eccentric means rotatably positioned in said housingsubstantially parallel to said side plates and, to the bottom of saidhousing; the size and eccentricity of said means being such that a cancan pass between said means and each of said side plates during part ofeach period of rotation and cannot pass between said means and saidplates during another part of each said period, the maximum openingbetween said means and one said plate occurring at a different time fromthat of the maximum 6 opening between said means and the other saidplate.

8. A can line divider, including a housing having an inlet adapted toreceive cans, a main outlet in its bottom and one or more outletsadjacent said main outlet, and sides adjacent the outside edges of saidhousing, a pair of cylindrical means mounted on a generally horizontalaxis for eccentric rotation in said housing adjacent said sides, thespacing between said cylindrical means being greater than the diameterof a can whereby an unobstructed way is provided for the passage of cansto said main outlet, and the spacing between each said cylindrical meansand its adjacent sides being such that a can can pass between it andsaid sides during part of each cycle of rotation and cannot pass duringthe balance of said cycle of rotation, one of said sides and theperiphery of the cylindrical means adjacent thereto being resilientlymovable with respect to eachother upon cans lodging in the spacetherebetween, and means for rotating said cylindrical means.

9. A can line divider, including a housing having an inlet adapted toreceive cans, a main outlet in its bottom and one or more outletsadjacent ,said main outlet, and side plates adjacent the outside edgesof said housing, a pair of cylindrical means mounted on a generallyhorizontal axis for eccentric rotation in said housing adjacent saidside plates, the spacing between said cylindrical means being greaterthan the diameter of a can whereby an unobstructed way is provided forthe passage of cans to said main outlet, and the spacing between eachsaid cylindrical means and its adjacent side plate being such that a cancan pass between it and said side plate during part of each cycle ofrotation and cannot pass during the balance of said cycle of rotation,and means for rotating said cylindrical means in unison whereby .thespace between adjacent surfaces of said cylindrical means will remainsubstantially constant. I 10. A can line divider, including a housinghaving an inlet adapted to receive cans, a plurality of outlets in itsbottom for said cans, and side plates adjacent the outside edges of saidoutlets,

a plurality of shafts mounted in said housing substantially parallelwith its bottom and parallel with said side plates and above and betweensaid outlets, means for rotating said shafts at the same speed, and aplurality of cylinders each mounted off center on its respective shaft,and spaced so that at all times a can can pass between adjacentcylinders, and spaced in relation to said side plates and of such adiameter that as the cylinder adjacent either of said side platesrotates the position of maximum clearance from the adjacent plate willprovide a space through which a can will pass, and the position ofminimum clearance will provide a space less than equal to the diameterof the cans passing therethrough.

ELI BOURLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,940,526 Berger Dec. 19, 19332,127,924 Kimball et al Aug. 23, 1938

